Four soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division walk around their camp wearing rain suits, gloves and M-17A1 protective masks as they try to acclimate their bodies to the heat of the Saudi summer during Operation Desert Shield. DoD photo

Disability compensation made easier

Department of Veterans Affairs

Mar 19, 2010Mar 19, 2010

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Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced March 18 that VA is taking steps to make it easier for veterans to obtain disability compensation for certain diseases associated with service in the Persian Gulf War or Afghanistan. This will be the beginning of historic change for how VA considers Gulf War veterans' illnesses.

Following recommendations made by VA's Gulf War Veterans Illnesses Task Force, VA is publishing a proposed regulation in the Federal Register that will establish new presumptions of service connection for nine specific infectious diseases associated with military service in Southwest Asia during the Persian Gulf War, or in Afghanistan on or after Sept. 19, 2001.

For non-presumptive conditions, a veteran is required to provide medical evidence that can be used to establish an actual connection between military service in Southwest Asia or in Afghanistan, and a specific disease. With the proposed rule, a veteran will only have to show service in Southwest Asia or Afghanistan, and a current diagnosis of one of the nine diseases. Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted over the next 60 days. A final regulation will be published after consideration of all comments received.

The decision was made after reviewing the 2006 report of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) titled, "Gulf War and Health Volume 5: Infectious Diseases." The 2006 report differed from the four prior reports by looking at the long-term health effects of certain diseases determined to be pertinent to Gulf War veterans.

The 1998 Persian Gulf War Veterans Act requires the VA secretary to review NAS reports that study scientific information and possible associations between illnesses and exposure to toxic agents by veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War.

Because the Persian Gulf War has not officially been declared ended, veterans serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom are eligible for VA's new presumptions. Shinseki decided to include Afghanistan veterans in these presumptions because NAS found that the nine diseases are prevalent in that country.

For more information about health problems associated with military service during operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and related VA programs go to www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/ or go to www.va.gov for information about disability compensation.